Track 2-2-1: Plant Diseases, Insect Pests and Weed Management
Description
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) an important forage legume is mainly cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions of India for its food and fodder value. It is highly nutritive with 23.0, 67.0, 1.8 per cent protein, carbohydrate and fats respectively, and is also a rich source of calcium and iron. Cowpea is also prone to a number of diseases and inset-pests causing great losses in yield and quality of green fodder. High incidence of diseases profoundly reduces yield and quality, whereas insects typically reduce yield more than quality. Cowpea is grown globally in an area of 14 million hectares with an annual production of 4.5 million tonnes. In India, it is cultivated in an area of 1.5 million hectares with annual production of 0.5 million tonnes (Reddy, 2006). In Himachal Pradesh, cowpea is either taken as sole crop or intercropped with maize mainly as Kharif crop in low lying and mid hill areas of state., Wet and humid environmental conditions during the cropping season predispose the crop to the attack of various fungal pathogens and insects pests which cause substantial yield losses.
Included in
Effect of Diseases and Insect-Pests on Forage Quality of Cowpea
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) an important forage legume is mainly cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions of India for its food and fodder value. It is highly nutritive with 23.0, 67.0, 1.8 per cent protein, carbohydrate and fats respectively, and is also a rich source of calcium and iron. Cowpea is also prone to a number of diseases and inset-pests causing great losses in yield and quality of green fodder. High incidence of diseases profoundly reduces yield and quality, whereas insects typically reduce yield more than quality. Cowpea is grown globally in an area of 14 million hectares with an annual production of 4.5 million tonnes. In India, it is cultivated in an area of 1.5 million hectares with annual production of 0.5 million tonnes (Reddy, 2006). In Himachal Pradesh, cowpea is either taken as sole crop or intercropped with maize mainly as Kharif crop in low lying and mid hill areas of state., Wet and humid environmental conditions during the cropping season predispose the crop to the attack of various fungal pathogens and insects pests which cause substantial yield losses.
